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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26940436">What Is Expected Of You</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/BumbleBeeKisses/pseuds/BumbleBeeKisses'>BumbleBeeKisses</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Life of the Party D&amp;D (Web Series)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Family Fluff, Fluff, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, M/M, Not Beta Read, Original Character(s), Post-Canon, Sorry Not Sorry, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, might get a bit angsty</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 02:36:00</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>10,701</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26940436</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/BumbleBeeKisses/pseuds/BumbleBeeKisses</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It's always been kind of inevitable. With no living siblings, there were no heirs to the throne of Mirrortail, and despite how young the kingdom was with very little tradition, the governors to the King were determined that the next heir must be a blood relative. They were stuck, until they heard of a young warlock who had found a way to create new life through magic. Now they just had to convince the Kings...</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Astra/Aerenthias Van Wymarck, Boblem &amp; Sariel (Life of the Party), Cassian/Renard (Life of the Party)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>23</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. A Sun-Kissed Morning</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Okay so I wrote the beginning of this, got stuck, rewrote it six times, got stuck again, randomly got struck with inspiration in the middle of a science test, desperately wrote the first chapter instead of paying attention in History, and then spent the next week writing the next few chapters instead of doing school work. I hope me bothering my friends by making them read it over and over to see if it's good pays off because now I think they hate me :)<br/>Anyways, please enjoy a fanfic I wrote purely for myself because "Be the change you want to see in the world".</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It had been a peaceful night all throughout Caldera, and now the sun began to take over the moon’s nightly duties, bringing the soft morning. In the palace in Mirrortail, Cassian awoke to the pleasant sight of his husband still asleep. He was always grateful that he didn’t have to sleep as much as him, it meant he could get a full night’s rest and still have time to admire how gorgeous Vanden was while he slept. There was no weight of a kingdom to carry on his shoulders while he was asleep, he just looked peaceful and content. Cassian loved this sight more than life itself, he would stay like this all day if he could, covered in soft blankets with the sun beginning to let its golden rays shine over the land, no responsibilities just yet, just him and his husband together and safe.</p><p>He kissed Vanden gently on the forehead before getting out of bed and beginning to start his morning routine: Bathroom for a quick bath, then hair, then makeup, then work on whatever project he was currently working on until Vanden woke up. After returning from the bathroom, he walked over to his working desk and picked up his current project. He hummed a little tune to himself as he began carefully selecting a thread that matched the fabric he was using. After picking out the best thread for the job, he relaxed back into the chair and sighed, continuing to hum the little tune. The thread matched the fabric so well you could barely notice it, it filled Cassian with glee at such a perfect match.</p><p>He continued to sew for a while, concentrating completely on his little project. The repetitive motion was so calming, and after doing it for many years, he knew exactly what to do, which stitch would be best, which would be the strongest, which would not break or fault despite the years.<br/>
“That’s lovely,” Cassian jumped slightly at the sound of his husband’s voice, immediately untensing and looking over at him, “What song was that? One of Madame Nostrada’s?”<br/>
Cassian just shook his head in response, still working on his project but with a soft smile on his face instead of his usual ‘concentrating really hard so don’t talk to me’ face that he usually made while working.<br/>
“Well, that makes a change. What song is it then?” Vanden, still very sleepy but awake enough to sit up and open his eyes more, wincing a little at the sunlight as it poured in from outside directly onto his face.</p><p>“It’s a song my mother used to sing to me when I was a child, just a simple lullaby passed from each generation to the next.” Cassian sighed again at the memory of his childhood, sitting in his mother’s lap while she worked on her own project, not too different from how Cassian was now, sitting at the desk and working away.</p><p>“Oh,” Vanden looked away, he always got a little tense when Cassian brought up his parents, especially his mother. He was not scared of many things, but that woman, that woman frightened Vanden right down to his core. Sure, she had warmed up to Vanden since the first time Cassian introduced the two, but the glare and way she looked him up and down put the fear of the Gods in him. It was very hard to imagine her being any different from that. “It is lovely.”<br/>
He turned and got out of the bed, walking over to Cassian before placing his chin on his head. Cassian very quickly put the project back into the little bag he used to keep track of each project before Vanden could properly see what he was making. Vanden let out a disappointed sigh, looping his arms over Cassian’s shoulders.<br/>
“Why won’t you let me see it? You’ve been working on it for ages.”<br/>
“Because, mio caro, it would ruin the surprise.”<br/>
Vanden just grumbled and moved off of Cassian, returning to the bed in mock disappointment.</p><p>“Darling, you just woke up, you can’t go back to bed just yet.” Cassian returned with his own mockery, turning in his chair to watch Vanden pull the blankets over his entire body. Cassian just sighed and smiled, picking up his project and walking over to his side of the bed.<br/>
He sat down next to a still grumbling Vanden and continued to work on his project in a way that Vanden would clearly be able to see if he wasn’t hiding under all of the blankets.<br/>
Cassian just went back to humming the lullaby, occasionally glancing down to the lump under the blankets he knew to be his husband. He eventually saw Vanden peeking out from under the blanket, looking at Cassian’s face or at his hands as they worked away on the little project.<br/>
“Are you staying under there for the heat or do you think you’re being sneaky and getting away with staring?” Cassian still enjoyed teasing him, he loved seeing how his king reacted to it, and his reaction to his newest statement was pulling the blanket tightly around his face. Cassian smirked, leaning down and placing a kiss onto where Vanden’s face was before he had covered it. It didn’t take long for Vanden to slowly pull the blankets away from his face, uncovering his entire face this time.<br/>
“There you are, so pretty with the sun on your face like this.”</p><p>Vanden sighed at the statement, face flushing as he sat up next to Cassian, resting his head on his shoulder as he watched Cassian’s hands work, sewing the fabric together without any difficulty.<br/>
“What are you making?” Vanden asked, pressing his into Cassian’s neck, voice still layered with sleep.<br/>
“Just a small something, which reminds me, we need to have a talk. I was going to wait until this afternoon, but this might be the only private time we get today until much later.” Cassian stopped sewing, putting the fabrics down on his lap with care. Vanden sat up, looking at Cassian at eye level, mild concern clear in his eyes.<br/>
“It’s nothing bad, mio amore, but the governors have brought up the issue of needing an heir to the throne.”<br/>
“Oh, they talked to you about it too?” Vanden sighed, looking off to the side.<br/>
“Well, yes, it does concern the both of us, you may be the king but you certainly do not make decisions for me. I felt it’s something we should talk about privately, I feel it affects us the most out of anyone here.”<br/>
Vanden groaned at Cassian’s first sentence before his face turned softer.<br/>
“Well, how do you feel about it?”<br/>
“I’m not against the idea of a child, but I will respect it if you’re not ready or if you never want to.”<br/>
“I’m fine with it, I suppose I’d always known I’d have to have a child at some point, even if I never became King I’d still have needed to start a family just in case anything happened.”<br/>
“So we’ll tell the governors we’ll contact the woman they suggested?” Cassian took Vanden’s hand in his, gently rubbing his thumb over the back of Vanden’s hand.<br/>
“Yes, she’s apparently Astra’s cousin. She did the same thing the governors are suggesting for him and Aerenthias a few months ago.”<br/>
“Oh yes, little Calliope, such a darling creature, she has Aerenthias’ charm already.”</p><p>They sat silently for a while, Vanden going back to having his head on Cassian’s shoulder and Cassian returning to his project, which was a small fox with little golden wings on it’s back.<br/>
“Have you been thinking about it for a while?” Vanden murmured into Cassian’s neck.<br/>
“A little while, but not very long. Only about a week. Why do you ask?”<br/>
“You’re making a children’s toy, and you were humming a lullaby from when you were a child.”<br/>
“Ah, you’ve caught me,” Cassian said playfully, moving his head slightly and pressing a kiss into Vanden’s hair, “Bless that amazing brain of yours.”<br/>
Vanden hummed softly, lifting his head up and placing a small, soft kiss onto Cassian’s lips.<br/>
“I should probably get ready for that meeting I have this morning, and I’ll see if I can have a moment with the governors to tell them the news.” Vanden began to get up, placing another soft kiss onto Cassian’s hand before climbing out of the bed and walking over to the connected bathroom.<br/>
“I’ll be here until three, I’m going out with my mother for a late lunch.” Cassian sunk back into the bed, the soft pillows protecting his head from the hard wooden bed.</p><p>These were going to be a very eventful few months.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Preparation and Doubts</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So I said I would make a LotP/BTL/Nyxrising vine/tiktok comp on the recent premiere so now I have to do that and write this, which is great because that is the only thing I want to do ever</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The castle hadn’t been so lively since the wedding. All the staff were coming in and out of the room that had been a nursery long ago before being changed into a small infirmary after the attack on the Palace 8 years ago. Now, it was returning to being a nursery, with fresh paint, new furniture and old being brought in, some from Vanden’s childhood and some from Cassian’s, some entirely new, with special details specifically for the new royal. Cassian had found himself unable to restrain himself from creating all kinds of clothes, toys and blankets for his unborn child, including little cotton dolls of himself, Vanden, and the other Dawnbringers.</p><p>They had contacted Astra’s cousin, a young tiefling woman named Cassandra, and asked if she would help them bring the child to them. She had agreed, happy to help any friend of Astra’s, as she had performed the same ritual for Elyse and her wives a few months prior to the meeting with the Kings of Mirrortail. She was staying in the city currently, waiting for the letter to arrive from the Palace saying she can come and perform the ritual she had been practicing and studying for the majority of her life.<br/>
When they had their first meeting with Cassandra, she had been very understanding of how important it was that this went well. It was hard to read her expression with her lower face covered by typical religious wear, but she was kind and soft spoken with very good manners. She was very similar to Astra’s aunt, who they had met years ago, maybe a little less fearsome than Elisa, but Cassandra was clearly her child.</p><p>Cassian had spent days sitting in the nursery, humming to himself as he bonded to the items Cassandra had asked him to. A light blue flower the glowed when Cassian or Vanden approached it, a small necklace made of sea shells and crystal flowers (Vanden’s favourite kind) that Cassian had made per Cassandra’s instruction, and a little fish Cassian’s mother had made him when he was a child. He didn’t know why he was supposed to spend most of his time with them, but Cassandra had said it was important, and he wasn’t going to argue with someone who had been doing this for so long. He had spoken with Astra about it and he said that it was something to do with the ritual. All the dawnbringers had come to the city or were on their way to meet the child after they were born, Astra, Aerenthias, and their little daughter Calliope arriving first with Sariel and Boblem not long after. They were still waiting on Elyse, Boske, and Phaesta along with their young son to arrive, but they were coming from far away so it was understandable.<br/>
Cassian knew that Astra and Boblem were currently talking with Vanden, who had been incredibly worried for the past few months about the whole thing, afraid of messing up or hurting the child. Cassian had spent a lot of time comforting and listening to Vanden’s worries while he sat making many items for the child.</p><p>“What if they don’t like me? What if I drop them? What if I-” Vanden had been pacing around the room for the past half hour, Cassian sat mostly silent while working on embroidering a blanket, until he had had enough of Vanden’s pacing and worry, putting the blanket down on a side table and walking up to his husband, taking his hands in his own, pressing a short kiss onto his lips to shut him up.<br/>
“Tesoro, it will be fine,” Cassian pulled back, still holding Vanden’s hands, “You will be fine, they will be fine, we will all be perfectly fine.”<br/>
“You don’t know that…” Vanden sighed and looked down at the floor, still worried despite his husband’s reassurance.<br/>
“I do, mio amore,” Cassian brought Vanden’s hands up and placed a gentle kiss onto his knuckles, “You aren’t going to ruin our child, you aren’t going to wake up one day and decide to hurt them.”<br/>
Vanden looked up and met Cassian’s eyes, tears threatening to spill as he thought of the pain his father put him through. It had been years since they had fixed his mind and body, but the fact that his own father, who he had loved so dearly, had thought him a monster still wrecked havoc upon his mind. <br/>
Cassian pulled him in close, running fingers through his hair, “Luce dei miei occhi, sei la miglior cosa che mi sia capitato,” he whispered in Vanden’s ear, knowing that it brought comfort to his lover. Vanden couldn’t stop himself, the tears falling down his cheeks as he clung tightly on Cassian’s robes.<br/>
“I’m so scared. I don’t want to hurt them.” Vanden mumbled into Cassian’s shirt, still holding onto him like he would disappear if he let go.<br/>
“Mio caro, I know from experience how gentle you can be,” Vanden was suddenly very thankful that his face was hidden as it lit up like a fire receiving new fuel, “I have no fears that you will hurt our child, none at all. You love so much, tesoro mio, our child will grow up with so much love and safety, nothing will hurt them, especially not you.” Cassian spoke as if he already knew how it was going to happen, so sure that everything would be perfectly fine.</p><p><br/>
Vanden sighed again, a little happier this time, loosening his grip on Cassian’s clothes.<br/>
“Thank you, I don’t know what I’d do without you to keep me grounded.”<br/>
Cassian just smiled, clearly holding back a comment as to not ruin the moment entirely, and placed a kiss on the top of Vanden’s head.<br/>
“Come on, we’re meeting with Astra in half an hour and I fear he will lose his mind if we’re late and you look like you’ve been crying.”<br/>
Vanden let out a little laugh, stepping back a bit, still holding his husband’s hands.</p><p>Everything was going to be okay. He would never doubt it again. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Okay it feels short but the next few chapters should be longer (hopefully)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. The Start of It All</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The day they had been waiting for had finally arrived. After 5 months of preparation, Cassandra had gathered absolutely everything she needed, plus a few extra, just in case; and the Kings along with the palace staff had finished their preparations for the new child.<br/>The day was gorgeous, the sky clear and sun shining brightly from the early hours of the morning.<br/>Cassandra had arrived at early noon, three crows following her, hopping at her side as she walked through the courtyard to the Throne Room</p><p>“Your highnesses,” she curtsied, her mother’s many lessons on proper manners paying off. “It is an honour to be in your presence again.”<br/>“You needn't be so formal, Miss Za-Cavaliere, you are the one aiding us.” Said Cassian, dismissing her to stand with the movement of his hand.<br/>“It is still an honour nonetheless.” Cassandra rose up, her eyes meeting her cousin’s, who stood off to the side of the royals with Aerenthias, Sariel, and Boblem, before returning her gaze to the Kings who stood before her.<br/>“Have you decided on the most suitable room for you to perform the ritual?” Vanden spoke, anticipation clear in his voice.<br/>“Yes, I believe the Great Hall you showed me on my past visit is the most ideal space here.”<br/>“Then there it shall be, we’ll have the staff set up everything you need,” Cassian smiled, looping his arm with Vanden’s, “But first, we should discuss things over lunch.”<br/>“Of course, your highness.” She curtsied again as Cassian and Vanden walked from the raised part of the room where the thrones sat, rising only after they had passed her.</p><p>Astra waited until she rose before happily rushing to her side, grinning as he hugged her.<br/>“Well hello to you too!” She laughed, steadying herself as she let the usual formal and professional appearance slip away. They had known each other since they were small children, after all, so why put on an act?<br/>“Sorry,” Astra stepped back, holding Cassandra’s hands. “I’m just so happy to see you, Cassidy,  it feels like forever ago.”<br/>“Six weeks, Astra, it’s been six weeks since you last saw me,” Cassandra sighed, smiling under her scarf. Typical Astra, always so excited to see everyone. “Come on, we mustn’t keep the Kings waiting.” She took his arm, walking him behind the Kings.</p><p>After the meal, Cassandra, Cassian, and Vanden separated from the rest of the group, who went to go wait for it to finish in the ground floor library, where Jocelyn, Tristan and little Calliope would meet them. Cassandra, Cassian, Vanden, however, went off to the Great Hall.<br/>They reached their destination quickly, and when they entered, Cassandra instantly got to work, the desk she had required supporting her small but heavy bag as she placed it down with a thud. As she went through the bag searching for the items she needed, Vanden and Cassian took a seat on a small sofa that had been brought in along with the desk and a piece of furniture that could be a crib but had no sides so was more similar to a stool but too high to be a stool. It was an interesting piece, Cassandra had brought it herself, able to fold it and fit it in that bag she always carried. It had bewildered Vanden when he first saw it, folding furniture was not new but how it was able to become so small after being so big puzzled him still.</p><p>He sat staring at Cassandra as she worked, tense and entirely focused on every move she made, taking into account what she was doing, what she was putting together and what she was determinedly keeping apart; while Cassian looked calm and composed, checking occasionally to see what she was doing now but mostly sat in comfortable silence, tracing little symbols that littered his exposed arms, until he noticed how on edge and tense his husband looked. He took his hand, squeezing it tightly in an act of silent reassurance. Vanden turned and smiled at him before Cassandra made another move that drew his attention. She had crossed the room to the strange crib/stool, taking a piece of chalk that seemed to glitter slightly in the light out of her bag and had begun drawing out a beautiful pattern of shapes in a circle around the piece of furniture.<br/>“It’s just a spell circle, Tesoro mio, nothing too complicated.” Cassian murmured in his ear before pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek. <br/>“Do you think it will take much longer?” Vanden whispered back, lacing his fingers with Cassian’s.<br/>“Patience, my love, something this important will take time.”<br/>They sat there like that a few minutes longer, watching as Cassandra worked her way around, drawing out not just runes and magical symbols, but flowers and animals as well. After she was finished, she stood up with a huff, placing her hands on her hips before wiping her brow.<br/>“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Cassandra said, turning to face them after taking a few seconds to compose herself. “Have you got the items I asked for?”<br/>Cassian took a moment to reach into his pockets, finding all the items and placing them down on the space beside him, Vanden doing something similar.<br/>“Excellent, then I can start the final preparations.” She clapped her hands together before taking the items and bringing them over to the desk, where she reached into the bag and pulled out a woolen blanket, clearly made by Cassandra herself for this ritual specifically, and a few small pouches with careful embroidery. She took the items she collected and retrieved and began to fold the blanket around them, taking her time to ensure nothing was in the wrong place or not secure. </p><p>Both Vanden and Cassian watched curiously from the sofa, intrigued by the smaller spells she whispered to certain objects before tucking them in with the rest.<br/>She stopped slightly, looking from one small pouch to another.<br/>“Do you have any preferences on gender? I can influence it certain ways if you so desire.” She called back, keeping her eyes on the items.<br/>“Not really,” Vanden turned to Cassian. “We know we’ll love them no matter what.”<br/>Cassandra smiled, not that anyone could see, and placed one pouch down, emptying the contents of the other into the tightly wrapped bundle.<br/>“And now, I believe we can start.” She smiled and clapped her hands again, picking up the bundle and holding it in one arm so she could hold her staff with the other.<br/>She carefully stepped around the intricate lines and drawings, making her way towards the crib/stool. Cassian was used to doing the same, knowing that if she smudged even a single part, the whole thing wouldn’t work. He decided to spare his husband of this knowledge, knowing how worried he could get. Cassandra placed the bundle down, she retraced her steps back to the beginning and took her place at the side of the spell circle. Then she began.</p><p>The words were haunting. Beautiful. Other-worldly. It sounded more like singing than speaking. An ancient language not spoken in centuries rolled off of her tongue, a language she had learnt specifically for this spell. Words that were found in other languages were mildly recognisable, hints of primordial, sylvan, elvish, and celestial most common, a few small words were more similar to infernal or draconic, dancing around words no one knew the meaning of any more, other than a select few like Cassandra, and even she, who had devoted her life to the study of this spell and the language it was spoken in, did not know it all. As the first words spilled out, the spell sigils began to glow, radiating light and colour and pure magic. It was gorgeous, the glow of the sigil, the words of this long dead language going from soft words with more hints of celestial, sylvan and elvish to harsher but still as hauntingly beautiful words with more hints of infernal, draconic and primordial.</p><p><br/>As she spoke out the words, the magic of the spell swirled around her, pushing her hair back as it reached her throat and face, turning the words into a translucent flow of gold, blue, silver, and purple light. As the words manifested, her feet came off the floor, floating her a few inches off the ground on this glowing wind of magic. The magic, though still slightly around Cassandra, moved towards the bundle, following the path she had drawn out with the shimmering chalk, swirling and dancing around it when it reached it, some parts drawing out new magic from inside the bundle with the words Cassandra spoke dipping in to replace it. The colourful magic filled the room entirely, dancing in all shapes and sizes, some depicting children playing, some of animals running or flying, and some just swirling around. Some of the magic, which had taken the form of three crows, flew around Cassandra, resting on her head or staff for a brief moment. Another part of the magic went towards the couple sat further back, taking the form of a large fluffy dog, which went around happily wagging its tail at Vanden as he sat, confused as ever. An extremely blue part of the magic swirled around Cassian, messing with his previously well kept hair by darting in and out of the strands, filling him with a comforting familial sense. After a few minutes of play for the child-like magic, it began to focus closely on the bundle which was at the very centre of the spell circle. </p><p><br/>It dipped into the folds of the blanket, filling it out and then moving back out again, similar to the rhythm of Cassandra’s breathing as she continued to speak. Then the magic became more powerful. It was not much of a surprise, considering who this child’s parents were, but Cassandra had possibly underestimated how much it would take from her, and how unpredictable it could become. Her usual steady and pleased tone faltered, revealing a little hint of worry in her voice as she realised how much energy it was taking from her. The magic was going absolutely everywhere, violently swirling around the bundle as it was lifted similar to how Cassandra was, but higher than she had ever, and left it floating a couple metres off the crib/stool. Cassian tried to speak, realising this was maybe not going exactly to plan, but he found his voice silenced by the power of the magic, which would only let Cassandra’s spell be heard.<br/>All light seemed to vanish from the world around them, the light from the mid-day sun seemingly swallowed by a black hole.<br/>Then a large ripping sound rivalled Cassandra’s voice.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Alright, little bit of a cliffhanger, but I might get the second part of this chapter out later today if I have time, but I'm not making any promises</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. A New Form Of Love</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Prepare for soft moments and parental love (you have been warned).</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The bundle seemed to implode, like the beginning of a supernova, filling with so much magic before it all caved in, pushing everything back, including Cassandra as she yelled out the final words of the spell. She flew back, body going limp as her head hit a pillar, sliding down and crumpling to the floor. A soft glow filled the room as two bright copper wings ripped through the blanket.<br/>Just as it started, the spell circle stopped glowing and light returned to the world.<br/>Vanden and Cassian had rushed over to where Cassandra lay limp on the floor when she had slammed against the pillar, and were now staring in silent awe at the bundle as the wings that had ripped through began to burn up slowly. As the wings burned up, it began to float down slowly, increasing in speed as the wings fully burned away.<br/>Cassian was the first to move, scrambling to his feet and running to catch it before it hit the ground, as the crib/stool that was meant to hold it had been pushed back against the wall in all the magical chaos. He reached it just in time, the sudden heaviness and speed of it falling pulling Cassian to his knees. The baby let out a small cry, not of pain, but instead that of taking a first breath.</p>
<p>The large doors to the great hall opened with a thud, Jocelyn and Astra appearing first over the railing from the landing. <br/>“What happened?” Jocelyn called out. “Is everything alright? We heard a scream and everything went dark.” She was clearly concerned, beginning her descent down the large marble staircase, skipping a few steps as she rushed down.<br/>Astra leaned over the railing, looking around frantically before seeing Vanden next to his cousin’s limp body.<br/>“Cassidy!” He yelled out, following Jocelyn down the steps, less put together but beating her down there, instantly rushing over to Vanden, who was trying to check her over but had no idea what was normal for tieflings despite his time spent with Astra and his family. Her chest was still falling and rising, shallow and inconsistent, but still breathing nonetheless. “Oh gods, is she alive?”<br/>“She’s still breathing.” Vanden sighed out, Cassandra’s head on his lap. Astra moved her over closer to him, brushing strands of hair off her face and checking her over for injuries. He looked absolutely terrified, then mildly relieved when he found she was mostly fine. Aerenthias, Tristan, Sariel, and Boblem appeared, clearly out of breath from trying to run after the other two but keep both Calliope and Sariel, who was a little more delicate these days but wouldn’t let it stop her, safe and undamaged. Aerenthias was carrying Calliope on his hip, her little hands clinging onto his shirt as she bounced slightly from the running. He was the first to reach the balcony overlooking the hall, spotting Astra quickly and began his descent down the stairs as fast as he could, still a lot slower than the other two had gone, mindful that if he fell it wouldn’t just be himself hurt but also his little girl, and he wasn’t going to let anything hurt her.<br/>The other three followed him, Tristan going quickly similar to how Jocelyn had gone down, Boblem helping Sariel with much annoyance to her, with many remarks along the lines of “I’m fine, I can walk down stairs”. <br/>The group joined Vanden, Astra, and Jocelyn, helping them check over Cassandra and adjust her so she could be moved more easily.<br/>“We’ll take it from here, your majesty,” Aerenthias placed a hand on Vanden’s shoulder, smiling kindly at him. “Go see your child.”<br/>Vanden had nearly forgotten about the child, with Astra’s panic and the silence from both Cassian and the baby. He stood up slowly, stepping around the group to reach his husband, who was still kneeling alone in the middle of the floor.</p>
<p>Cassian turned his head to look up at him as he approached, the blanket still wrapped tightly around the baby, still covering their face. Vanden crouched down, joining him on the floor. Very gently, he began to unwrap part of the blanket, revealing tan skin and a small face framed with almost brown dark red curls. The baby stretched, little chubby arms pushing away the blanket around them, letting out a yawn before slowly beginning to open their eyes. Soft blue with little specks of gold that seemed to dance in the light.<br/>The couple felt their hearts melt at the sight, instantly in love with their child. Cassian moved the closer to his chest, kissing their forehead lightly. Vanden smiled down at them as the little baby giggled at Cassian’s touch.<br/>“Hello, little one,” Cassian murmured, lips lingering on their forehead for a moment before he moved to let Vanden look at them more closely. “Vanden, look, they have your eyes.” <br/>Vanden smiled, unable to hide his emotion as he saw the same shade of blue he saw in the mirror. Their face was littered with similar features to the two, little pointy ears that stuck out through the dark red curls, and the glittering blue eyes that had a shape similar to Cassian’s. <br/>Vanden pushed a small stray lock of hair away from their eyes, the baby instantly nuzzling their head into his palm. He couldn’t stop the grin even if he tried, laughing a little. Those glittering blue eyes looked up at him, sparkling as they giggled again and reached two little hands up towards their parents’ face’s. </p>
<p>They stayed like that for a while, cooing and adoring their child while sitting on the empty floor of the Great Hall. Eventually they rose, Vanden aiding Jocelyn, Astra, Tristan, and Boblem in moving Cassandra to a guest room to recover, while Cassian, Aerenthias and Sariel stayed with the children. They moved to the nursery, letting Cassian dress his child in a simple blue and white dress that went to their feet. The three adults sat on a small sofa that was opposite the fireplace, talking about the children and waiting for their friends to return.<br/>“Have you had any ideas for a name?” Sariel asked, looking at the baby with a smile, a hand resting on her stomach where her clothes appeared a little tighter (even though she swore she was not putting on weight). She was sitting on Cassian’s right, while Aerenthias sat on his left, Calliope sat on his lap while she played with his hands, tapping them to a beat only she knew.<br/>“I had a few ideas, but I suspect Vanden wants to wait until the Royal Ceremony for us to decide on a name,” Cassian sighed, letting the baby chew on his finger a little as he turned his head to Aerenthias. “How did you name Calliope? It’s a beautiful name.”<br/>“Matches her perfectly, doesn’t it?” He moved his hands to tap her cheeks in a returning beat, making her giggle and tilt her head back to smile at him. “Astra chose it almost instantly after she was born, he says it means beautiful voice, and that in one of his aunt’s stories, there was an amazing singer called it and she was seen as the Queen of Music and Poetry.”<br/>“Elisa’s stories are very memorable, I can see why he went with something like that when being gifted in music like that runs in the family.” Cassian sighed, looking at his child. How would he find the perfect name for something so unique?<br/>“She’s grown into it, always making music of some sort.” Calliope had returned to tapping Aerenthias’ hands, making little sounds as she did.<br/>“She’s a lot like him,” Sariel lent forward, leaning her arm on Cassian’s leg as she did. “Her horns even seem to be turning the same way.”<br/>“She is a lot like him, isn’t she? Got both our good looks too,” Aerenthias smiled at her again, watching as she moved a little, trying to stand up a bit, “Careful, love, here you go.” He stood her up, her slightly clawed hands holding his shoulder as she looked at Cassian.<br/>“Do you want to see the baby, Calliope?” Cassian moved the baby closer to her, watching her movement carefully. He knew she wouldn’t hurt the baby, but they were so small and fragile that he couldn’t help but worry. He watched as Calliope’s eyes filled with wonder, turning her head to smile at her father and then at Cassian, then at the baby. The baby stared back, then tried to reach out to her. Calliope moved her own little hand to meet the baby’s, which seemed strangely big compared to the baby’s tiny hand despite how close they were in age.<br/>Calliope spread her fingers, and the baby copied. Calliope made a little fist, the baby copied. Calliope stuck her tongue out, the baby copied. Calliope let out a delighted little squeal, bouncing slightly and looking at her father.<br/>“Oh, look at them, they’re friends already!” Cassian laughed a little, taking the little baby fist and waving it at Calliope, who waved back, giggling again.</p>
<p>It didn’t take long for the others to return, Vanden instantly rushing to Cassian, taking him in a tight embrace.<br/>“Careful, careful! You might squish her!” Cassian said playfully, laughing although a hint of genuine fear made itself known in his voice.<br/>Vanden pulled back, delight and shock all over his face. “Her?” Cassian just smiled in response. “It’s a girl?” He said quietly, like all his breath had escaped him. Cassian nodded, his small smile growing larger as it crept across his face. Vanden embraced Cassian again, pulling back and kissing him briefly before turning his attention to his daughter.<br/>“I have a little girl,” he said under his breath, taking her into his arms, “I have a little girl!” He exclaimed loudly, turning to the others, grinning like mad.</p>
<p>The others smiled, taking a first proper look at the new-born Princess of Mirrortail.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hey everyone! I hope you're enjoying the story so far, and if you are, please feel free to comment or leave a kudos, they make my day a whole lot brighter.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Early Morning Joy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Look at you lucky ducks! Two chapters in one day!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A month passed, and the city was buzzing. People from all over Caldera had come to Mirrortail to see the baby Princess. The celebration of her birth was going to be a grand party where all were invited to attend. The day of the celebration arrived, and people began the minute the sun came up. Music played everywhere, stalls selling food, drink, art, and the sort lined the streets. The whole city was alive, everyone’s excitement in the air.<br/>
But up in the Palace, there was peace. The preparations had been made and the final touches would be done a few hours after dawn to make them perfect. <br/>
Both Cassian and Vanden had fallen asleep in the nursery again, their daughter keeping them awake deep into the night for the past month. They often tried to take shifts, Cassian meditating while she slept in his arms, but he was often disturbed before he could fully rest. Vanden tried to stay awake with them both, but he needed a full eight hours of sleep to be healthy, so it was a lot harder if he wanted to get anything done the next day. They were happy though. They had decided on a name a few days after her birth, but decided to officially announce it at the celebration like they had planned.<br/>
In the month since her birth, a lot had happened. Elyse had arrived later on the day of her birth, welcomed by Vanden excitedly telling everyone in the palace that he had a daughter while showing her off to anyone who would stay still for longer than five seconds. Cassandra had mostly recovered from her injuries, though still exhausted from the magic drainage. Astra had gone to see her at least once every day, and once she had recovered enough had joined her in writing to friends and family to invite them to meet the Princess. </p><p>On the day of the celebration, Cassian woke up first, finding one of his hands occupied, his daughter holding onto it with her tiny hands. He smiled a smile that was only seen by his husband and now his daughter, who was staring at him with those large blue eyes that were so similar to Vanden’s. She giggled as he smiled, releasing his hand and stretching, making grabby hands at him, asking to be held. Cassian carefully picked her up, holding her with one arm as he picked up her fox toy to give to her. She took it, giggling and putting it’s ear in her mouth, making Cassian smile again. He moved her to a high wooden table, changing her from her nightwear to a cream dress with blue embroidery that went past her toes.<br/>
“Do you want some breakfast, mio angioletta?” He cooed, tickling her sides, causing her to laugh and wiggle. “Let’s go get some breakfast then,” Picking her up and holding her in one arm again, he turned towards the door, seeing his husband, still asleep with his head on the side of the crib.<br/>
“What do you think, principessa? Should we wake him?” The baby cooed in response, raising her little arms up, still holding her flying fox. “Alright let’s get him up, maybe he’ll sleep in an actual bed for once.”</p><p>Cassian moved towards his husband, placing one hand on his shoulder while pressing a light kiss onto his cheek. Vanden began to stir, but apparently not quick enough for the little princess, who reached up and pulled on his shirt, offsetting him and making him snap awake. He groaned, rubbing his head and opening his eyes.<br/>
“Good morning, sleeping beauty,” Cassian teased. “Your princess missed you.”<br/>
Vanden adjusted to the light, groaning and stretching slightly, muscles aching from sleeping over the crib. He looked down at the little princess, who was still clinging onto his shirt. He moved again, taking his daughter into his arms as Cassian carefully moved with him to place the child in his arms without harm. “Mind her head.” Cassian murmured, moving a few stray hairs from her face.<br/>
“She’s still so tiny.” Vanden whispered, smiling and cradling her close to his face. She reached up, now dropping her fox to touch his face, looking over the freckles and moving her small fingers around, placing one hand on his nose and the other on his head, giggling as she messed with her father’s long hair. Vanden felt his heart melt as she did, gazing at her face. He detached her from his face, pressing a kiss onto her forehead before handing her back to Cassian. “It’s early.”<br/>
“I know, but she thought you might be happier in an actual bed.”<br/>
Vanden sighed, ruffling his daughter’s hair. “She’s right, are you alright looking after her on your own? I don’t want to leave you to do it all alone if you don’t want me to.” Vanden’s worry seeped into his voice. He loved Cassian so much, he didn’t want to stress him.<br/>
Cassian laughed a little, kissing Vanden soft and quick.<br/>
“I’ll be fine, zuccherino, if I need help I will come and wake you, but it is unlikely I will need to.” He put the fox back in the baby’s arms, where she immediately went back to chewing it’s foot, and put a hand on Vanden’s cheek. He melted into the touch, putting his hand over Cassian’s.<br/>
“Alright, you’ll wake me in time for the ceremony, won’t you?”<br/>
“Of course, cuore mio, I might leave you a few minutes to watch you panic, though.” Cassian teased, booping Vanden on the nose, causing his face to scrunch up a little as a reflex.<br/>
“Don’t, today is far too important for stress.”<br/>
“Alright, alright, let's get you to bed then.” Cassian helped him stand, still holding the baby. Vanden lent on him slightly, muscles still sore from sleeping on the side of the crib. </p><p>It didn’t take long for them to reach their rooms, Vanden changing into something better suited for sleep as soon as he could, Cassian watching him as he did so from the other end of the room. <br/>
“Stop staring.” Vanden grumbled out, cheeks turning red.<br/>
“I wasn’t.” Cassian looked off, smirking as he occasionally glanced back to admire him. The baby was happy just looking around her, she didn’t get out of the nursery much so she was constantly intrigued by anything new, so she stared at the stuff on the desk and the clothes Vanden was putting to the side while chewing on her fox.<br/>
After he changed, Vanden kissed him softly before getting into the large comfy bed. “Thank you, mon cœur, are you sure you’ll be alright?”<br/>
“Absolutely positive, il mio bellissimo angelo, now get some rest,” Cassian gently sat the baby down on the opposite side of Vanden so he could tuck his husband in, kissing his forehead lightly after he did so. Vanden hummed in appreciation, smiling and closing his eyes. “Sleep well, mio amato, I’ll come get you in a few hours.” Vanden just hummed in response, pressing his head down onto the soft pillows. Cassian smiled, picking up the baby and held her on his side. He turned and went towards the staircase that would take him downstairs, lingering to get a few final glances at Vanden, who seemed to have drifted off quickly. Happy that his husband was safe and comfortable, he headed downstairs.</p><p>“Now, il mio piccolina, what should we do for breakfast? You’ll need something good for your special day.” </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I had to write this because SOMEONE decided to make me cry with sad fanfiction and I needed to recover with the best medicine know to human kind, Fluffy Vassian Fanfiction.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. The Ocean's Lullaby</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So I wouldn't recommend reading this chapter unless you're up to date on the original Life of the Party campaign as there are spoilers, but if you're cool with that or are up to speed, enjoy a soft little in-between chapter.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After finding some suitable breakfast for both him and the Princess (Squashed apple and strawberries for her, some fette biscottate and hot milk with very little coffee for him), Cassian went back upstairs, deciding that he could leave his husband for another few hours and they’d both still have time to be ready. After picking up a few things from his own rooms, his book and some simple projects to keep him busy, he took the baby back to the nursery, letting her play a little while Cassian supervised. <br/>He sat on the floor with his daughter as he sewed, legs crossed while she played with the cotton dolls of the dawnbringers, her mostly holding them and placing them on certain bits of the floor as she crawled about, occasionally sitting up and presenting one to Cassian, who would smile and thank her before putting them down behind her so she could go find them again. Eventually she grew tired, crawling over to her father and resting her head on his foot, beginning to fall asleep. He put his project on the empty sofa behind him, moving to pick her up and put her in her crib for a small nap before getting her ready for the ceremony later that day, but suddenly felt a calling to just let her sleep in his lap and spend some time with his book.</p><p>So he did. He moved her into his lap, giving her the dolls of Vanden and himself (Her two favourites), which she happily took, and set up his book, meditating with it there in front of him for a few minutes before opening his eyes to see a familiar door where the plain wall of the nursery once was. He smiled knowingly, he was used to this, and it had been a while since he had last visited, too wrapped up with preparing and caring for his daughter.<br/>He gently picked her up, moving to place her in her crib but then it suddenly felt wrong to do so and instead replaced the dolls with her fox toy, which had been put in there upon their return to the nursery. He walked towards the door, a little nervous about how the baby would react to being somewhere so entirely new and how the realm would react to her being there, but sure that somehow it would all be fine, and opened the door. Upon opening it, he found a familiar scene, the outstretch of a ballroom floor, but with no walls and clearly underwater, little tropical fish of all colours and patterns swimming around in their own dances. It was a beautiful sight, it always was.<br/>As he admired the scenery and moved about to inspect the schools of fish, the baby woke, beginning to cry slightly.<br/>“Oh, pesciolina, don’t cry, we’re okay, it’s okay.” He shifted her in his arms, kissing her face and moving her up so her head rested on his shoulder, rubbing her back gently. She cried a little more, small whimpers and cries coming to a sudden stop, replaced by a small giggle and movement as she reached her little arms out. Cassian turned around to see what she was seeing, and was greeted by the face of his patron, smiling down at him.</p><p>“Lia.” He bowed slightly, using the movement to shift his daughter back to lying on her back in his arms.<br/>“Hello Cassian, you’ve been busy, I see.” She smiled, dark hair floating around her and occasionally floating closer to Cassian, like kelp in the current of the sea.<br/>“Yes, these have certainly been some very busy months.” He sighed, smiling tiredly.<br/>“I’ve seen, you’ve been doing so much that I thought I would give you a little time away to just relax and watch the fish,” She sighed happily, reaching a hand out for Cassian to step onto, which he did almost instinctively, and lifted him high so he was level with her face. “But first, I believe some introductions are in order.”</p><p>“Madame Nostrada, I would like to introduce you to my daughter, the Princess of Mirrortail.” He held her out under the arms, who kicked her legs happily as she was presented to the enormous magnificent lady before her. She dropped her fox, reaching out and cautiously touching her face. Lia smiled and closed her eyes, laughing a little as the baby's tiny hands moved over her lips.<br/>“Maybe I should change into something better suited for this.” She laughed out, both Cassian and the baby suddenly surrounded by bubbles, Cassian pulling his daughter back close to him. After the bubbles disappeared, Cassian found himself standing back on the ballroom floor once again, and a more human sized Madame Nostrada appeared from behind a curtain of shining kelp, dressed in golden silks which floated about around her, much like her hair. She moved to Cassian, who had moved the baby to rest on his hip, and gently kissed him on each cheek in greeting. He returned the gesture, smiling as she pulled back. The young princess squealed happily, reaching down to the floor where her fox toy was being investigated by a few shimmering stripy fish. Lia bent down and picked it up, admiring it before handing it back to the small princess while still at her eye level. <br/>“What beautiful stitch work. You made this yourself, did you not?”<br/>“Yes, it took much longer than I originally planned with Vanden always pestering me while I worked on it.” <br/>Lia laughed, beautiful and melodic, pairing with the soft distant music that played from somewhere unknown. “You don’t mind, you love him too much to be bothered.”<br/>Cassian looked off dreamily, sighing. “I do, he is the most amazing man I’ve ever met, he is my sole weakness.”<br/>“He certainly is interesting, but I believe that together you have made another weakness for the both of you. How could something as beautiful as this not make anyone she please weak?” She cupped a hand under the baby's chin, pushing a stray curl from her eyes. She smiled and hugged her arm, big eyes reflecting everything around her.<br/>“It is true, she is the most beautiful child I have ever seen.” He smiled, moving her close to kiss her cheek, causing her to giggle. </p><p>“Would the beautiful princess be interested in a dance?” <br/>“I have no reason to think she would object to such a thing.” He passed her over, her little hands clinging onto the fine silks as she looked up curiously at her father’s patron.<br/>“Hello Princess of Mirrortail, it’s an honour to dance with you today.” She smiled, perching her on one arm while she gently held the other one on her back so their faces were level and began to move in a small pattern of steps, some of the fish following and darting in and out of Lia’s hair and dress. The young princess squealed and reached out, still holding her fox with one hand, towards her face again, kicking her legs happily as they moved. Lia brought her closer, letting the baby’s free hand feel her face as they moved across the ballroom floor. <br/>“Careful,” Cassian called out from where he was standing, “She likes hair.” He was slightly too late as the child had already stuck her hand into the floating locks and was surprisingly gently moving them about. <br/>“You’re getting big already, aren’t you, Princess?” She hummed, watching as the child moved her hair about, almost braiding it as they moved around bright schools of fish. “She’ll be walking soon.” She called out to Cassian, moving slightly back towards him.<br/>“She’s growing so fast, it feels like just yesterday she was a new-born, confusing and frightening the life out of all of us.”<br/>“It’s always the way with children, my dear Cassian, one minute they’re a helpless little creature and the next they’re walking and talking and making their first big decisions. Such is life, so quick and fleeting that you’ll miss the best parts if you don’t pay attention.”<br/>“Wise words as always, Madame.” </p><p>“I’ve had a lot of time to think. Speaking of time,” She returned to Cassian, removing that baby from her hair and handed her back to him. “You should probably get going, the first ceremony of this little one’s life is in three hours, so you really haven’t got long.”<br/>“Good Gods, has it really been that long? Time really does slip away when I’m here, doesn’t it?”<br/>“I’m afraid so, now let's get you going.” <br/>She lent up and kissed his forehead, and then bent down and kissed the baby’s.<br/>“I’ll come back soon, I promise.” Cassian smiled, honesty in his eyes.<br/>“Soon, but take care of them, alright? Both of them.”<br/>“Of course.”<br/>And with that, Cassian was surrounded by bubbles again, finding himself and his daughter back in the nursery with a hint of a voice in the back of his head, saying “Soon.”<br/>Three hours. He had to get ready. He placed the tired child in her crib, who snuggled up to her fox once again, chewing lightly on it’s golden wings.<br/>He calmly and carefully walked to the door, preparing to wake his husband, who would definitely not be pleased to have been left to sleep an extra hour than promised.</p><p>Before he left, Cassian glanced over to where his daughter slept, noticing an extra three seashells on her mobile he had made her, and the gentle distant hum of a woman’s voice as a soft lullaby muffled by the waves of the ocean played somewhere unseen.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Princess of Mirrortail</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Okay this took me an entire day to write because I've had exams all week and hardly any time to write in my draft notebook, but it's here, I think I did well and I like it so here you go</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Vanden was mildly panicked. Cassian had left him in bed an extra hour and now he was rushing to get dressed into the complicated (overly so in his opinion) ceremonial clothes he was expected to wear for situations such as this. Cassian was rushing to change as well, though less stressed about the whole situation. <br/>
“Tesoro mio, I don’t know why you’re so stressed, we have plenty of time.” Cassian said as he changed into the proper ceremonial wear, pulling off the simple shirt he had left on from the previous night when he was looking after the baby.<br/>
“I don’t know why you aren’t! The ceremony is in three hours and we still have so much to do,” Cassian could feel the stress in his husband’s voice and see it in his shoulders as he pulled his shirt on, deciding that caring for Vanden was more important than getting ready right now. “I’m not dressed, you’re not dressed, we still have to get the baby ready- What are you doing?” Cassian had walked up to him while he was having a minor rant and grabbed his face, holding it still and staring at him with both frustration and care.<br/>
“Stop stressing so much. It’s going to be fine.” Cassian kept eye contact, moving his hands from his face down to his open shirt, pulling on the loose fabric to bring him into a gentle kiss. Vanden melted into it, shoulders losing the majority of their tension as he moved his hands into Cassian’s hair, pulling him in closer. Cassian decided that, for right now, he would allow it and let it slide as he hadn’t done his hair yet this morning. </p><p>He released Vanden’s shirt, moving his hands to the underneath of his shirt and grabbing his hips, causing Vanden to whine slightly and tighten his grip on his hair. Cassian moved back, holding him in place still.<br/>
 “Are you going to be quiet and calm down?” Cassian whispered, indicating that he wasn’t really giving him a choice, so Vanden just nodded and made another small whine.<br/>
“Good, now get dressed.” Cassian released him, smiling in a way that suggested he knew exactly what he was doing as he stopped touching him entirely and turned back to where he was changing before.<br/>
Vanden opened his mouth to speak, but found he had no words and just went back to changing, much more flustered and stumbling, but quiet and less stressed, or at least not voicing his remaining stress. <br/>
Cassian would occasionally turn his head back to admire his husband, watching as he pulled each piece of clothing on, smiling to himself as he stumbled on occasion trying to pull something on quickly. He never thought he would know a man so divine and beautiful in so many ways in all his life, no matter how long he lived. He was very pleased that so many of his favourite parts of Vanden had carried over to the baby, specifically the hair, which, though darker and a little curlier, was almost the same as his. He couldn’t help but dream of when she was older and her hair was longer so he could try different styles on her, for now, with its current length, doing anything with it other than brushing it and keeping it off her face with a ribbon was a challenge.<br/>
He wished Vanden would let him do something with his hair, especially for special occasions such as this, but every time he would complain or say that it was too much for that, so Cassian just had to imagine and wait for when the baby was older.<br/>
He continued changing, carefully putting all of his specific jewellery for the ceremony on and adjusting them to fit with the more traditional Mirrortail clothing he had styled after what had been worn by the Royal Family for generations. After he was done, he sat down on the bed, watching Vanden fumble under his gaze as he tried to pull the large fur cloak over his shoulders without disrupting the large golden symbol of the Royal Family of Mirrortail. Cassian sighed, rising from the bed and walking over to him, moving his hands to aid Vanden with getting dressed. Vanden eventually gave up on trying to do it without Cassian’s help, shoulders untensing at the comforting feel of his husband’s hands.<br/>
Cassian readjusted the golden pendant, laying it out flat on his chest, hands lingering there for a long moment. Vanden went slightly tense under his touch, unsure of what he would do next. It was always hard to know his true plans, unless he was in certain situations where he was completely readable, like when they were both tired from long nights with the baby and they were resting on each other. <br/>
He could always see what he thought when he was tired, or when he thought he was alone. Vanden thought back to when he had gone to a meeting which had ended early, so he had gone to find where Cassian was, and had found him singing softly to the baby while gazing out the open window in the nursery. It had been a lovely sight, Cassian’s hair pulled back in a low ponytail to stop her from grabbing it constantly (a new normal for them both, not that she was pulling, but it made it hard to do anything when she was practically in your hair), the salty sea breeze gently pushing the few strands of hair that had fallen loose back away from the baby’s reach and filling the room with the familiar salty smell of being on the coast, his daughter’s arms reaching up as Cassian gently rocked her back and forth. <br/>
Vanden had watched them like that for as long as he could, eventually moving further into the room and wrapping his arms around his husband’s waist, kissing his cheek. It was a very fond memory that he knew he would cherish forever. </p><p>He was pulled back from the memory as if no time had passed while he reminisced, Cassian moving slightly to move his hands away, Vanden’s hands, almost instinctively, moving up to hold them there. Cassian looked slightly up at him, a small smile creeping onto his face. Vanden smiled back, raising his eyebrows a little and moving his fingers across the back of Cassian’s ever so slightly. Cassian let a little laugh slip out, resting his head on Vanden’s shoulder. Vanden released his hands, moving them to his back and pulling him in close.<br/>
“T’es l’amour de ma vie.” He murmured out, kissing the side of Cassian’s head lightly.<br/>
Cassian laughed again, sighing after. <br/>
“I know, ti amo molto anch'io, but we should keep getting ready. We still need to fix your hair,” Cassian gently held a few strands, feeling a slight knot that very much bugged him.<br/>
“And we still need to get the baby dressed.”<br/>
Vanden whined slightly in annoyance at having to let Cassian have his way with his hair, even if he knew he wasn’t going to do anything he wasn’t comfortable with. No matter how long they had been together or how much they loved each other, letting Cassian have his way with anything still irritated Vanden greatly, mostly because of the smug look Cassian would always have when he did get his way that just made Vanden want to go and grab his face and kiss him until he no longer looked smug. He had actually tried doing so before, and that sure was an event.</p><p>After a while, the two of them were ready. Vanden went downstairs to double check all the preparations and help in whatever way he could, and Cassian had gone to change the baby for the event. Once she was dressed, a long slip dress that went 2 feet past the end of her legs in white with small blue and gold embroidered flowers at the sleeves and end, they moved from the upstairs nursery to Cassian’s private rooms on the lower floor, waiting for Vanden to come and tell them it was time for them to enter, something he had persisted on happening because of ‘tradition’. He sat there for a while, the baby in his lap as he read a couple poems he enjoyed out loud to her, and after about half an hour, Vanden appeared in the doorway, standing tall with the crown on his head, obviously trying to keep his back as straight as possible to keep it from falling. A few servants, Cassian’s people-in-waiting, followed behind him, one holding Cassian’s own crown and another holding a slightly smaller one that looked very new. The one holding Cassian’s crown, a half-elf woman named Elain, moved to Cassian from where she had previously been at Vanden’s side, curtsying and offering out the crown which sat gently placed on a velvet cushion. <br/>
“It’s time, your majesty.” Cassian placed the book of poems down on a side table as another of his people-in-waiting, a human man named Nicolai, followed Elain, took the crown from it’s cushion gently and placed it on Cassian’s head, Cassian’s posture improving ever so slightly as he naturally tried to keep his head still and back straight. He adjusted the baby so he was holding her on her back with one arm and stood, moving gracefully to Vanden’s side, taking his arm when he offered it, beginning to walk with him as the rest of the people-in-waiting parted to allow them through.</p><p><br/>
“Are you ready, mon chéri?” Vanden whispered, turning his head ever so slightly.<br/>
“Of course, cuore mio, we’ve been preparing for this since before she was born.” <br/>
“But are you both alright? Nothing's happened while I was busy?”<br/>
“No, Vanden, nothing’s gone wrong. Just because I wasn’t raised a royal doesn’t mean I’m completely incompetent.” <br/>
“You know that’s not what I meant, I was just checking if you were alright” <br/>
“We can argue later, but now we have to focus on the little one.” Cassian whispered just as the guards opened the main doors to the Throne room, putting on a calm smile as he entered the room. Vanden made his face stoic as he took a deep breath, taking one last glance at Cassian as they walked in. In some slightly separate part of the room, an announcer called out: </p><p>“Their Royal highnesses, King Vanden Adrienus Diederik Florian du Argentfort,”<br/>
The crowd parted, clearing a path to the platform where the thrones and a small tradition crib were. The advisors who had convinced the two of this idea in the first place stood near the platform, watching as they approached and seated themselves. Vanden in the corner of his eye swore he saw his mother, smiling at him proudly, but when he turned his gaze towards the spot instead found Jocelyn with Tristian at her side, smile wide as she regarded him pride.<br/>
 <br/>
“King Consort Cassian Thirian du Argentfort,”<br/>
Cassian gently placed his daughter into the crib that had held newborn royals, Vanden included, for generations before taking his seat at Vanden’s side. He looked out at the crowd of people, spotting his friends: Astra and Aerenthias holding Calliope; Elyse, Phaesta and Boske with their small son Ramiel; and next to all of them, Boblem with Sariel, who was leaning on him slightly.</p><p>“And Crown Princess Melilia Maria Petra Adaline du Argentfort.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So I'll be taking a small break for exams because my school decided that 8 GCSE mocks in 4 weeks was a good idea, so I'll see you all when it's over. It's gonna be hard finding another way to spend my Sunday, but hopefully I'll live until December.</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hopefully I will update this every Sunday, but I may have to occasionally take a few breaks because school is literal hell and won't let me rest for one minute</p></blockquote></div></div>
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